SELF-DEFENSE
In legal terms, self-defense is the right to use reasonable force to protect oneself or members of the family from bodily harm, or to a lesser extent, one's property, from the attack of an aggressor, if the defender has reason to believe he/she/they is/are in danger. The force used in self-defense may be sufficient for protection from apparent harm (not just an empty verbal threat) or to halt any danger from attack, but cannot be an excuse to continue the attack or use excessive force.
This is a general definition of self-defense, however each country has its own definition and legal framework for application.
This is a general definition of self-defense, however each country has its own definition and legal framework for application.
Use of Krav Maga for self-defense
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In what circumstances may I use Krav Maga to defend myself or my family?
You can consider that you (and/or your family) are in danger if: - The aggressor has the intention to attack you - The aggressor has the ability to harm you - The aggressor has the tools to harm you; usually a knife, a stick, a stone, a bottle, a gun. However hands and legs and even the head can also be considered as tools when used for the sake of causing harm to others. In such situation, after you have tried to de-escalate the situation and only if you cannot escape, then you can use your Krav Maga to defend yourself. As a civilian, once you get into the fight, there are 2 points extremely important to keep in mind: - The first one is don't get killed - The second one is don't kill the aggressor |
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Reasonable force
The use of "reasonable force" is paramount to the concept of self-defense. In other words it means, don't do more harm than necessary to stop the aggressor. Stopping the aggressor means that the aggressor is not physically able to fight anymore or he is not willing to fight anymore.
Imi Lichtenfeld used to say, "you must be so good that you don't have to kill". By that he meant, if you train enough and if you train well you shall be in full control of your technics and therefore able to apply them with the right amount of force to protect yourself and control the attacker without causing unnecessary harm.
Remember Krav Maga has no rules because it is made to defend yourself in the street or on the battlefield, but law has rules and you would be responsible in front of the law if you kill or inflict unnecessary harm to your aggressor.
Imi Lichtenfeld used to say, "you must be so good that you don't have to kill". By that he meant, if you train enough and if you train well you shall be in full control of your technics and therefore able to apply them with the right amount of force to protect yourself and control the attacker without causing unnecessary harm.
Remember Krav Maga has no rules because it is made to defend yourself in the street or on the battlefield, but law has rules and you would be responsible in front of the law if you kill or inflict unnecessary harm to your aggressor.
